A simile is a comparison between two essentially unlike things using words “such as,” “like,” and “as.”
Simile, similar to metaphor, is another type of figurative language that is used in poetry to establish imagery by creating a vivid picture of how an object, person, or action might appear. Comparing one object to another seemingly unlike object establishes a connection between the two. Simile relies on the use of “like” or “as to establish equivalency between two things, even if the things aren’t literally the same.
Percy Shelley uses simile in his poem “To a Skylark” to describe the actions and appearance of the skylark. Shelley writes “From the earth thou springest / Like a cloud of fire” comparing the action of the skylark taking flight to fire bursting. Later, he describe the sound of the skylark to a singing woman:
“Like a high-born maiden
In a palace tower,
Soothing her love-laden
Soul in secret hour”
The skylark is not literally a “cloud of fire” or a maiden singing, but the Simile evoke similarities between the skylark and other unlike things to vividly describe the skylark and evoke the readers’ senses.
Other poems that use simile include “A Birthday” by Christina Rossetti, “Harlem” by Langston Hughes, “Morning Song” by Sylvia Plath, and “Ode to My Hands” by Tim Seibles.